


Immaculate

by orphan_account



Series: Archbishop [2]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Femslash, Fluff and Smut, Lesbian Sex, Making Love, Oral Sex, Post-Canon, extremely tender rhealeth feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-09
Updated: 2019-11-09
Packaged: 2021-01-26 00:02:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21364858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Rhea deserves to be loved. Deserves to be wanted, worshipped. Not as the Archbishop, but as a woman.A brief sequel/additional chapter to "Pierced Scales, Broken Walls"
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth/Rhea
Series: Archbishop [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1540240
Comments: 5
Kudos: 102





	Immaculate

**Author's Note:**

> [crying, with a microphone] Rhea deserves love. she deserves love. please I-

Byleth dreams of Rhea.

She dreams of laying her head comfortably on her lap, as she hums a sweet melody and runs her fingers through her hair. As she whispers,_ you are safe, my dear one. I am here. I am watching over you. Always._

Even in the hazy environment that is her dreamscape, the scene feels familiar. Like she’s actually experienced such a thing before. But in that moment, she cares little. What more could she want, when she was feeling this way? Enveloped by warmth, and safety, and love? Enveloped by Rhea?

Her dream self curled her body so that it might be just a little bit closer to Rhea’s. The very last thing that she felt before the dream faded out, was the flutter of Rhea’s lips, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.

* * *

Byleth woke up slowly. Her limbs tensed, lazily coming back to wakefulness. She slow blinked once, twice. The bright light of the morning sun was harsh against her sleepy eyelids. And one of the first sensations that she registered was one of slight cold. Of emptiness. Of something missing. She turned to her side, and despair crept in for a short moment when she realized that Rhea was not laying next to her.

Then she saw it.

Rhea, standing before the large, open window of her room. She was dressed in nothing but her white dress robe - which was ever so apparent by her bare feet, and the slight outline of her nipples on the fabric. The morning breeze blew her long hair elegantly about her. She was looking out to the distance, her expression quite pensive. She didn’t even notice that Byleth had shifted awake.

Byleth remained silent for a long moment, just watching her like that. She looked like a figure from an expensive ancient painting. Like something so beautiful it could not possibly exist in the real world.

Like a goddess, and yet, at the same time, like a woman. Just a woman.

Byleth figured that she might have audibly gasped, for Rhea turned to look at her. She was wearing that familiar, serene smile.

“Good morning, my love. Sleep well?”

Such simple, casual words, and yet somehow, they made a burst of emotions bubble up within Byleth. She could almost cry. Even with how sleepy and groggy she still was, she felt like she could do summersaults through a field of flowers.

_Ah,_ she thought. So this is what it’s like. _This is what the authors of all those novels I read were referring to. This is love._

“I… Yes, Rhea, I slept quite well. And you?”

“Better than I have in a long, long time.”

Another breeze rolled by. It blew thin strands of Rhea’s hair about her face, framing it in the most beautiful way. It was all Byleth needed to fight the laziness remaining in most of her body. She quickly pulled the bedsheets off of herself and walked, naked, towards Rhea.

Rhea looked into her eyes as she stood in front of her, and tugged a strand of hair behind her (cute, oh so cute) pointed ear.

“Rhea… I’m so happy.”

“I’m very happy too, my love, but what has prompted you to say that, so soon after waking up?”

Byleth was direct as always. No filters. “I dreamed about you. About being near you. And then I woke up and you were right here.”

Rhea blushed a bit, but cupped Byleth’s face with both of her hands despite her slight embarrassment. “And I will be here always. I’m not going anywhere.”

She kissed her. They kissed slowly, tenderly, but deeply. Byleth savored the taste of Rhea with every swipe of their tongues, every movement of their lips. With their eyes closed, and the room absolutely quiet save for the gentle whistle of the wind, Byleth figured that she may as well have been in heaven - if such a thing existed.

When they pulled away, Byleth laughed.

She didn’t really know why she did. It came out of nowhere. But all of a sudden, she could not contain her happiness. And it came out as laughter. Laughter so genuine and zealous, that the thought briefly crossed her mind that she probably had never laughed like this before.

“What is so incredibly amusing, hm?” asked Rhea.

“Oh, Rhea, I’m sorry. It’s just—” she laughed a bit more. “I really am so happy. I’ve never felt like this before.”

Rhea chuckled herself. She tilted Byleth’s chin up, and gave her just a brief kiss on the lips.

“Well, seeing you so happy soothes my heart and soul.”  
  
Byleth laughed just a bit longer - and then she hugged Rhea. Hugged her closely, tightly. They held each other like that for a long moment. The warmth that Byleth felt when her body was up close to Rhea’s like this was incredible. She could almost feel her very soul being cleansed from any and all darkness that plagued it. Like Rhea herself was the light - the only light that she would ever need.

Just before they pulled away, a thought occurred to Byleth.

“We’ve spent a night together, now. Can we tell the others yet?”

Rhea laughed. “Why, my dear one. What has gotten you in such a hurry?”

That made Byleth pause. What, indeed? She thought about it.

“I guess… I just, I want everyone to know. I want everyone to know that I love you. And, I think. I think Fódlan will be all the better for it. With us working together, I think we can make it so much better. The people love you, Rhea. And if they see… that…”

Her voice faded as she noticed Rhea’s gaze avoiding hers. And a gloomy expression form on her face.

“Rhea? What is it?”

Rhea bit her lip. “You say that the people love me. But do they, truly? Even if they did before, do they love me now, after everything? After learning the truth of what I am, and what I’ve done?”

The look on Rhea’s face as she spoke those words was nothing short of heartbreaking. During the brief period of time between the day when Byleth reawakened from her five year slumber, and the end of the war, she learned so much. Not just about Fódlan’s true history, but about the history of Rhea. What she had done, and perhaps more importantly, what she had been through. Her family slaughtered - and by the very people that they gave everything for. That _she_ gave everything for; and continued to do so for over a thousand years.

During her time at Garreg Mach, and even before that, Byleth often heard and read about wickedness. About evil. What was evil, she thought, if not this?

Her contemplating had made her go silent, it seemed. Rhea put on a smile that Byleth could tell all too easily, was fabricated.

“Please, Byleth. You mustn't worry about such things. I committed these sins, and I must atone for them.”

“No!” Byleth exclaimed. Her suddenly loud tone surprised Rhea.

“You don’t need to do that. Or - maybe you do, I don’t know. But you don’t need to do so alone. Don’t you see, Rhea? I’m with you, now. The two of like one, for better or for worse. Your burdens are mine to bear, too.”

Rhea widened her eyes, but was otherwise quiet.

“Please, Rhea,” Byleth begged. She held Rhea’s cheek and pressed their foreheads together. “You need to stop punishing yourself like this. And if you must punish yourself, then at least let me share that with you.”

Rhea went quiet yet again - seemingly rendered speechless. Just before Byleth spoke again, she pulled her in for another kiss. A deep, long, passionate kiss that spoke far more than words ever could.

“I don’t deserve you,” Rhea whispered, breathy, before she kissed Byleth’s neck.

Byleth weaved her fingers into Rhea’s hair, tugging her closer. “No, Rhea. I think I’m the one who doesn’t deserve you.”

Rhea peppered another one or two kisses to Byleth’s neck, then pulled away. She chuckled briefly, then bit her lip. She looked beyond Byleth, at the landscape outside the window.

“I wasn’t always like this, you know.”

Byleth paused. Such a sudden, confusing statement. “Huh?”

“Like this,” said Rhea. “Prim and proper, demure, serious, refined… immaculate,” she placed extra emphasis on that last adjective, just to add an extra bit of irony.

“I used to laugh so much, in the past. My mother and my siblings often noted how much I laughed, and made jokes, and tried to bring smiles to others’ faces. I was always the fiery, carefree little sister. The one who would skip through puddles barefoot during the fall and make snow angels in the winter.”

Byleth listened quietly, trying to imagine it all. It really seemed so unlike the Rhea that she knew.

“And I did most of it alongside the people of Fódlan. It brought me such joy to be around them - the children, especially. We would light bonfires, and dance around them, and sing songs!” she laughed. “Then I would wait until every last one of them fell asleep, so that I might go to sleep myself. I wanted to make sure they were safe and comfortable. Sometimes I would sing lullabies to the little ones who had trouble falling asleep.”

“Such joyful times those were. I was happy. So, so happy. And so naive. I never dreamed that anything would ever go wrong. I truly believed that so long as my mother and my siblings were around, nothing bad would ever come to us.”  
Her expression darkened.

“I was wrong, of course. Evil did fester, as it always does. Before long, my mother and most of my siblings were slaughtered - most of them before my eyes. The few that remained isolated themselves, vowing to never interfere with the world of men again. And then it was just me. Just me, and the war I felt a duty to wage against the wicked ones who shattered the peace that Fódlan lived in for so long.”

Byleth felt her heart twist inside her chest. All of this was history that she already knew, by now. But it didn’t make it any less painful to hear it from Rhea herself.

“We did fight the war. And we won it. The Agarthans were exiled and forced to go underground. And then the people all looked to me. The last remnant of the Children of the Goddess. Together with the man who would become known as the First Emperor, we created a Church. We did it in hopes that it would prevent humanity from committing such wicked acts after again.”

She scoffed. “Oh, how wrong we were. How wrong I was. So young, so naive. And yet by the time I realized it, it was too late. So I held onto it. Held onto that position for century after century. I became Rhea. Archbishop of the Church of Seiros. And that is who I have been all this time… until now.”

Byleth gently wiped a tear from Rhea’s face. Rhea hadn’t even noticed that she’d been crying. But she went on.

“Do you see now, my dear one? In my ignorance, my naiveté, I made so many mistakes. Committed horrible crimes. I do not know that mankind can ever forgive me.”

“Rhea,” Byleth cut in. She could not keep quiet any longer. “Rhea, you’re so, so harsh to yourself. You’ve made mistakes, yes. And the church had its problems. But I know you, Rhea. You are good. To the core of your being, you are good. And you’re way more than just one of the children of the goddess, or a saint, or an archbishop. You’re a woman. A woman who is fallible, just as any other. But a good woman. And a woman who I’m love with.”

Rhea audibly sobbed. Even with her best efforts to contain herself, it seemed that her pain was too great.

“I do not deserve your words.”

“But you do,” Byleth said. She kissed Rhea’s cheek.

“You do.” Kissed her neck.

“You deserve all of the good, and all of the love in this world and beyond, Rhea.” Kissed her neck again.

Rhea inhaled deeply, wrapping her arms around Byleth’s neck and grasping at her shoulders with her fingers. “Byleth…”  
  
“Let me show it to you, Rhea.” Another kiss. “Please.”

Rhea shuddered. “My love…”

Byleth nuzzled her way up. She kissed and nibbled at the lobe of Rhea’s ear, then licked a slow line up its pointed shell, and back down again. Rhea gasped.

“I love you so much.” She kissed Rhea’s lips briefly, but deeply. Then Rhea watched as she fell to her knees, and hiked the skirt of her dress robe upward. Rhea flushed, holding it up to give Byleth space.

She was wearing nothing underneath, of course. Byleth kissed at the inside of her thigh, pressed her cheek against it, in the most tender, most loving gesture.

She still marvelled at every beautiful inch of Rhea. Such soft, supple skin. It even smelled lovely. Byleth sighed in her pleasure, urging Rhea’s legs apart. Rhea complied, and she was kneeling between those thighs, face just inches away from her. She could smell Rhea’s tender arousal already. Had she also gotten wet from the love they shared?

“Byleth…”

With her hands, Byleth parted Rhea’s glistening lips. Between them was her swollen, pink clit, wet and begging for her attention.

_I will show you how much you deserve to be loved, Rhea._

A musical moan escaped Rhea’s lips when Byleth finally pressed her mouth to her. She was tentative at first, testing the waters. She’d put her mouth on Rhea the previous night when they made love, but it had been quick. She wanted to take her time, now. To taste her properly.

“Oh. _Oh,”_ Rhea moaned. _“Byleth.”_

Byleth licked long, slow lines up Rhea’s cunt, making sure to press as much of her tongue to the sensitive flesh as possible. She was by no means an expert, but it was as if some innate force compelled her movements.

Rhea quivered against her. She grabbed a fistful of Byleth’s hair with one hand, holding her close, and braced herself against the window with the other.

“Oh, beloved, that’s- that is _divine,”_

But Byleth hadn’t even gotten started.

She hooked her arms around Rhea’s waist, pulling her closer to her lips. If she died like that, she thought, she’d be a happy woman. Surrounded by nothing but Rhea - her feeling, her smell, her taste. Nothing could ever be more sublime.

She dove deeper, wrapping her lips tightly around Rhea’s clit and sucking. Rhea gasped, and Goddess, that sound was the most beautiful thing she’d ever heard. Occasionally she would slide back down and lap at Rhea’s entrance, just to take in more of her taste - and to tease her, of course. Byleth intended to drag this moment out as much as possible. So that when Rhea finally came, she might truly feel the full depth of her love.

“Oh, Byleth, why must you torture me like— ah, like this—”

“Mm? Like what?” Byleth asked, acting coy, when the lower half of her face was coated with Rhea’s slick.

“Mmm, my love, keep going, _please.”_

And how could Byleth ever deny a plea spoken so beautifully?

She focused her efforts on Rhea’s clit again. She licked at it, sucked at it, occasionally trapped it between her teeth ever so slightly. She felt a slight urge to bury her fingers in Rhea’s cunt, but Rhea was holding her so strongly in place - in that deathlike grip of hers, no less. And her arms were locked tight around Rhea’s hips. She would fuck her with her fingers another time, she figured. Now she wanted nothing more than to bring Rhea to orgasm with her lips and tongue alone, so that she might feel Rhea coming all over her face.

Rhea began to shift even more above her. She was thrusting into her mouth, her entire body contorting in her pleasure. She was getting close. Byleth could feel it. So her tongue traced smaller and tighter circles onto Rhea’s clit. Sucked at it just a little bit harder. Rhea was coming apart above her.

“Byleth. Byleth. Oh,_ Byleth--!”_

Byleth shut her eyes tight. She shut out everything but Rhea, and Rhea’s pleasure. Her head bobbed and her fingernails dug deeply into the skin of Rhea’s thighs.

Rhea pulled her hair so hard that it was deliciously painful. She thrusted her hips, shamelessly fucking Byleth’s face as a powerful climax thundered through her. And Byleth absorbed every second, squirming as she dilliegently kept her tongue and lips in place, letting Rhea use them as she will.

Rhea descended from her high slowly, with intermittent gasps for air, and with her entire body shivering. It was quite adorable, really. Byleth licked her lips, then wiped her mouth and chin onto the back of her arm. Rhea had made a mess of her, and she loved it. She stood up, and watched as Rhea braced herself against the window, breathing slowly. She seemed to be lightheaded.

  
Byleth giggled, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “Are you alright?”

Rhea took in a deep breath. “I don’t believe I’ve ever felt so content in all my utterly long life.”

Byleth hugged her, burying her face into Rhea’s chest - something she had come to very much enjoy. And Rhea, of course, gently pet at her hair, holding her close. Though it was Rhea who was holding her, Byleth could tell that she was a bit woozy, and needing to lay down. She pulled away, taking Rhea’s hand and entwining their fingers together.

“Come,” she said. “Let’s go back to bed for a bit.” Rhea didn’t protest.

They laid on Rhea’s large bed together again. Byleth expected that Rhea might want to sleep, after climaxing as she had. But she was the one who ended up being jolted awake, when Rhea lifted up her nightgown and pressed her face between her breasts.

“Rhea.”

“Hush,” Rhea said. “Let me have this moment.”

Byleth said no more. She gently cradled Rhea’s head, holding her against her chest, as Rhea took one of her breasts into her mouth, and sucked. But she was so tender. Careful. Byleth sighed deeply.

Rhea kept it up for a long, long time. Sucking Byleth’s nipple into her mouth, swirling her tongue around it. The sensation was absolutely divine. Byleth held her close, occasionally moaning her pleasure.

But, just before Byleth’s body could reach peak levels of arousal, Rhea pulled her mouth away. She leaned upwards, and kissed Byleth on the lips.

“I want to sleep a little longer,” she said.

Byleth needed no more words. With a gesture of her face, she urged Rhea to turn around. She did, so that her back was facing Byleth. Byleth hooked an arm around her waist, and her legs around Rhea’s, her breasts pressing into Rhea’s back. Spooning her.

It took a while for Byleth’s body to settle down enough to sleep again, but she was slowly lulled by the sensation of having Rhea’s body against hers. And the soothing, gentleness of Rhea’s quiet, slow breaths. Her chest rising and falling. She pressed a kiss to the back of Rhea’s head, and settled comfortably against her.

She fell asleep with a smile on her face. And for the briefest, tiniest moment just before sleep took its hold on her, she swore she saw the smiling face of Sothis looking over them.

**Author's Note:**

> have a suggestion/request, or are interested in commissioning me? shoot me an email at shinycommissions@gmail.com ~


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